Russia's secret services are shielding Bosnian Serbs wanted by the war crimes tribunal in The Hague for atrocities committed during the Bosnian war, including the massacre at Srebrenica where more than 8000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered. Gojko Jankovic, a Bosnian Serb who gave himself up to the tribunal on Monday to face accusations of torture and multiple rape, was one of a group of fugitive alleged war criminals living in Russia under official protection. According to sources at The Hague and other intelligence sources, those still enjoying protection from the Russian secret services are Vinko Pandurevic and Vujadin Popovic, two senior Bosnian Serb military figures accused of genocide over the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995.Jankovic was flown to The Hague yesterday, having given himself up in the Bosnian Serb capital of Banja Luka, after four years in Moscow. There was no conclusive explanation last night as to why he had turned himself in. A senior diplomat said: "Jankovic suddenly phoned from Moscow saying he wanted to come in."
AdvertisementAdvertisement. Sources at The Hague pointed to pressure from the Bosnian Serb republic, Republika Srpska, "who are beginning to realise that this is not going to go away". The FSB, Russia's secret service, said: "We know nothing about this, and we have no comment on it."
A statement by Mrs Jankovic to the Bosnian Serb republic's Interior Ministry describes a voyage to Moscow from eastern Bosnia in December to meet her husband. Her account describes a visit largely supervised by a man driving a black bulletproof Mercedes and carrying an FSB identity card. The man produced the card over dinner but put it away when Mrs Jankovic's interest was roused. He was "a person of knowledge and experience in police work as he spoke about tapping devices, etc", the statement said. The man paid the couple's bills in expensive restaurants each evening of the visit, before taking them home in the early hours to a luxury flat with which Jankovic had been provided. "I was bothered by his constant presence, and then I realised that he was the one who paid the bills. I got the feeling that Gojko feels very safe in his presence," said Mrs Jankovic. According to her statement, Jankovic was given Russian citizenship under a pseudonym.
There are a lot of interesting stories about the involvement of all types of intelligence agencies in the Balkans wars. It's too bad that there is no way of separating the truth from fiction.